Present methods of harnessing wind energy by means of: kites, wind mills, wind turbines, kytoons, airfoils, etc.; use of sails on boat, ship or sledge for traction is known; as is the capture of water energy by means of: water mills, water wheels, turbines; balloons mounted on the sea-bed, floatation based devices, etc.; in converting the kinetic energy of wind and the potential-kinetic energy of water into mechanical energy to do useful work: mills to grind flour, pump water, etc. including aero-electric power and hydro-electric power generation. However, some devices like: wind mills, wind turbines, water wheels may be deficient and self-limiting due to (i) the minimized surface area for capture of the kinetic energy of the fluid medium as evidenced by the limited size and number of turbine blades, rotors, propellers, spokes; sails, etc. that may be affixed to an apparatus; (ii) the extremely short, momentary, contact time between the drive surface and the moving fluid medium providing the kinetic energy lasting a few seconds; and (iii) harnessing the kinetic energy in an ad-hoc randomized manner. Conservative estimates points to an efficiency figure of about 3-5 percent of the kinetic energy of wind or potential-kinetic energy of water being extracted. Harnessing the energies of mother-nature in quantities huge enough for global consumption may require different approaches and solutions than conventional methods, systems and apparatus presently available. In particular high altitude wind energy, the Roaring 40's, the Furious 50's, the Shrieking/or Screaming 60's, the Jet Stream (exceeds 92 km/h; up to 398 km/hr); and deep-sea water energy comprising: marine currents; ocean gyres; the Gulf Stream (top flow rate of 6.52 mph); Antarctic Circumpolar Current (4 km/h); Kuroshio Current (6.375 mph). The ACC transported a volume of 135 Sv (135 million m3/s) at Drake Passage; and 147 Sv south of Tasmania, at which point it is the largest volume of water moved on our planet. 1 Sverdrup (Sv) is the total volume of water from all the rivers on earth flowing into the oceans. Present invention discloses methods which maximizes (i) contact surface areas/volume; (ii) contact time between the drive surface/volume and moving fluid medium 10, 20; (iii) systematic arrangement of the bagged electrical power 14 generation system (FIG. 13A; FIG. 14A-14F); which may serve to improve efficiency and productivity in harnessing the kinetic energy of wind 10 and water 20 to between 10-20 percent.
The linear kinetic energy 11 of fluids comprising wind 10 and/or water 20 movements may be captured by means of a multitude of windbags 30 and/or water-bags 40 and transformed into electricity. The forward moving force/or kinetic energy 11 of the wind 10 and/or water 20 is captured and trapped by the bags; carrying the bags, propelling them along over a fixed distance in a linear path (example: 10 km distance on a 15 km length of tether 50 line wound on spool 52), maximizing surface contact area (example: 10 meters square per bag×1,000 bags); and prolonged contact time (example: 30 to 60 minutes). The moving bags 30, 40 pulling an attached tether line 50 (kinetic energy 11) exerted a tensional force which turned the tether spool 52/or line reel drums 52. This rotational movement (mechanical energy 12) is transmitted via a transmission gear-box 53; and used to power a driven appliance 54 comprising: a pump/or, compressor to produce potential energy 13/or, a generator to produce electrical energy 14. A multitude of such propelled bags 30, 40 and tethers 50 (drive unit 51) comprising thousands/or hundreds of thousands in number may be timed and arranged to take turns to drive the generators 54 (driven unit 55) to produce Gwh/year or Twh/year of electricity 14.
In present invention this wind 10 and/or water 20 energy may be harnessed in a systematic manner by means of a bagged power generation system; windbags 30 and/or water-bags 40 (including hybrid variants) cum attached tether-lines 50 comprising the drive unit 51. The revolving bobbins/or tether spools 52/or line-reel-drums 52; gear boxes 53 cum generators 54 comprises the driven unit 55. A winding motor 49 may be used to operate the reel-drums 52 to reel in and retract back the tether lines 50 and windbags 30 or water-bag 40. The drive unit 51 captured the naturally occurring kinetic energy and via the tether 50 imparts this tensile force to the driven unit 55; which converts it into electricity. The bags 30, 40 may be configured to be collapsible and inflatable. Towards the end of the power run/or end-of-run (EOR) point 288, the power bags 30, 40 may be depowered; deformed, collapsed, retracted, retrieved and pulled back (free load) to start-of-run (SOR) point 16; “ground zero”; where it may be reformed and redeployed.